


Sweet Dreams

by DraconisWinters



Category: LinkedUniverse - Fandom, The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms, The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask, The Legend of Zelda: The Ocarina of Time
Genre: Angst, Claustrophobia, Gen, Hurt No Comfort, Nightmares
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-08
Updated: 2019-04-08
Packaged: 2020-01-07 02:57:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,034
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18401729
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DraconisWinters/pseuds/DraconisWinters
Summary: Sweet dream are made of these.Who am I to disagree?





	Sweet Dreams

The moon was high in the sky, with its surface full and bearing down on their small camp. There wasn’t a face there. Time had to keep reminding himself. He wasn’t in Termina. He was with the others and the others were safe. They were secluded in a forest, hidden from the eyes of monsters and other vicious creatures. In the distance Time could see Hyrule sitting up with his sword in his lap on watch. Time himself had wanted to take watch for the entire night, but Warriors had forced him to take leave earlier and the man had lay awake until the warrior was replaced by Hyrule and Time had yet to fall asleep.

The trees surrounding them began to close in on him. Time’s breathe hitched, it was hot. Too hot. Time struggled to kick his blanket off. It became tangled on his legs and Time freaked out trying to pry the constricting material off. Get it off. Get it off! His legs became free with a final tug and the man sat back, sweat poured down his face. The man looked around frantically, worrying he had woken others in this struggle.

Nothing.

Time’s breathing began to settle down. The others were still asleep, Hylia knows they needed it, and Hyrule had not noticed his pathetic squabbles. Time collapsed back on the ground with an exhausted sigh. Why was he like this? He brought his arm up to block the moon from his vision. There wasn’t a face. There wasn’t a face…Time could feel his tired body finally giving out and he embraced the darkness of unconsciousness with open arms.

There was a thick mist settled over the forest, Time realized. He couldn’t see the trees in front of him until he nearly ran into them. Taking a step forward, Time realized he was his younger self. An ‘innocent’ child. With caution he continued into the foggy nothingness. Time shuddered as the mist pushed in and began to suffocate him. Panic settled in and Time began to quicken his pace, searching for a way out.

Clop. Clop. Clop.

Time paused, looking around with hope. Was that…could it really have been? “Epona!” He called out hopeful, but wincing at his youthful voice. There was no response.

“E-Epona!” He calls once more, desperate for his companion, his friend. But there was still no response. Perhaps he was hearing things. Yes, that had to be it. Epona wouldn’t leave him ignore him…But if he hurried, maybe he could catch up with her, maybe she just didn’t hear him. Yeah she was to far away to hear him.

Click. Click. Click.

Snap!

Time jumped at the sound behind him and whipped around. His hand reached back to grab his sword, but his fingers only grasped at air. No, no, no. He has no sword, no weapon at all. He has to run…why are his legs not moving? Panic began to set in as a shadowy figure materialized and started walking towards him. Run! Move! Do something, anything!

Then suddenly he was running. That is all he could ever do after all, run. Run head first into a quest that he should have never accepted. Run after a lost friend and end up in another hell. Run away from all of his fears. Yes, running was something Time was very skilled at.

The fog and the trees began blurring together as he sped past. A shriek pierces through the air and Time’s eyes widen as he freezes mid-step. No. Where is it? Where is it? Time breathing sped up and he could regrettably feel tears well up in his eyes. He still can’t move yet. Where is it? Something grabs him from behind and Time’s paralysis ends with a shriek,

“NO!”

He begins to struggle. The familiar rotten flesh of the redead fills his senses overwhelming him. Get it off! Get it off! His mind yells, but the creatures grip had not yet lessoned. Tears began to fall from his eyes, as he becomes hysteric. Get it off! His breathing became labored and Time could feel himself beginning to hyperventilate. Get it off!

The smell of its rotting flesh was overwhelming Time, causing him to gag and dry heave in between painstaking breathes. He needed it off now. A spark of hope appeared when he could feel the grimy fingers slipping and losing their grip on him and with a final triumphant scream, Time was able to free himself. Now go. Go!

He began running again. More screams echoed around him, but he didn’t stop, he refused to. The tears in his eyes clouded his vison even more as he pressed forward. Just keep running, just keep going! The screaming had yet to cease. It wouldn’t stop. Why were they everywhere? Beneath all the screaming however, Time can hear a maniacal laugh. Don’t look back this time. Don’t stop. Just run. All you can do do is run.

Time’s world came to a stumbling halt however, when his foot hit a tree root and he tumbled to the ground. The child looked up with panic but there were no longer redeads. He’s no longer in a forest. The root he tripped over was gone. All that was left is the circle of hands around him reaching up towards the ceiling. The disgusting hands swayed in some nonexistent wind that Time could not feel. Its skin pale, rotten, and stained with the blood of previous victims. Time couldn’t move because then they would grab him and then He would arrive.

But he had to escape…how was he supposed to get out? There was no way out. He…HE was trapped. But he can’t be trapped, he can’t be. This can’t happen again. Time began shaking his head frantically looking around. There had to be a way out where the hands could grab him. There had to. But there wasn’t.

Still in the body of his younger self, Time curled up, bringing his knees up to his chin, and allowed his tears to continue to fall. How could he get out? He could-he could…His body trembled and the walls of the dark room begin closing in. He couldn’t do anything. Time could feel himself hyperventilating once more. He was trapped. He wrapped his arms tightly around his legs, gripping the fabric of his pants as though it was a life line. The walls were closing in. Closer. Closer. Too close! In panic, Time jumped to his feet and took a step backwards. The beginning of the end.

Almost instantly the hands began to fly towards him. They were grabbing, clawing, and scratching at him, all trying to get a hold of the distressed child. Its claw-like finger nails sunk into his skin causing the child to wail in pain. His clothes were torn as they snaked their way around his body. One hand in particular made its way to Time’s throat. Its massive size dwarfed him and engulfed his entire neck leaving almost no room for air.

Time’s panic increased tenfold. He couldn’t move, he couldn’t breathe. Oh Hylia, he couldn’t breathe. Please no, make this end. Let this end! Tears freely steamed down his face and Time was so lost in his mind that he failed to feel the ground rumbling from below. As the creature surfaced, Time’s energy was almost gone.

“You’ve met with a terrible fate, haven’t you?”

The man’s voice rang through his head and Time couldn’t agree more. Dead Hand began sliver his way over. His limp deformed arms dripped with blood and Time was able to smell the revolting odor oozing off of him as he approached. The creature’s mouth widened at the sight of his next victim. Time was brought back to reality as the hands began to squeeze him, its claws dug further into him and Time could feel the blood bubbling up from the small punctures.

It was too hot. Get them off. Get them off now! Time’s struggling renewed.

“Get off!” He could his own voice distantly echo, “Let go!”

As the claws only dug further into his skin, his cries soon turned to pleas, “Please, just let me go! Just get off!” It was too much. The walls were closing in. He couldn’t breathe. His face was drenched by his own tears and in desperation he let out one final scream, “LET ME GO!”

“Time! Time wake up!”

They were still touching him. The hands were still there. Get them off, get them off now! Time began struggling fiercely and reaching for his sword. They wouldn’t let go.

“Time please, calm down!”

He could hear the others distant calls, but it didn’t matter. The hands are still there. He was still trapped. He couldn’t escape. He couldn’t get out. Tears begin pouring down his face once more. Get off!

With relief Time can feel the tips of his fingers brush against his sword. He quickly grabs the handle and swings it wide, aiming for the arms to cut the down. Instantly the hands release him.

“Time snap out of it!”

His eyes finally snapped open, looking around frantically for dead hand, the redeads, the fog, anything. But none of it was there. Time’s breathe was still labored as he took in the scenery around him. The sun rising over the distant mountains, the soft chirping up birds waking up in the trees…the eight other heroes surrounding him, concerned looks on their faces. Damnit.

“Hey Time,” Twilight began cautiously, “You with us?” He extended a comforting hand to his mentor, wanting to help, but upon seeing the out stretched hand Time pushed himself away frantically, screaming in panic,

“Don’t touch me! Get away!”

Twilight instantly backed away, fear and concern splayed across his face. The others took a few steps back as well. They were all scared. They were all scared of him. Warrior and Legend both had backed away cautiously, each resting a hand on their sword. Four appeared ready to split and fight. Wild had not stepped to far away, wanting to stay close to Twilight, but the cub was clearly scared. Sky, though he could not use the master sword on his fellow heroes, still was ready to defend the others against him. Hyrule had positioned himself in front of their youngest while Wind looked on at the scene with his lip quivering.

Time tried to say something, tried to comfort them, but upon opening his mouth, nothing came out. There was no excuse. He was supposed to be their leader, he was supposed to be the protector, but here he is, sprawled out before them with tears still pathetically streaming from his eyes. So he does the only thing he could ever do. He runs.

“Time!” He could hear the others cry after him, but the man refused to stop.

Always running. Always failing.

The forest became darker, denser. Light was unable to shine through the thick canopy and Time’s vision slowly started deteriorating. Between his sobs and the darkness, the man was brought to a stop by a humiliating tree root, similar to his nightmare. As his body hit the ground, his head shot up, searching for the circle of looming arms. There was none. Time let out of breath of relief, as he pushed himself up against one of the trees.

The silence that settled around him brought no comfort however, the fact that he could no longer hear the others was good. He couldn’t face them after that. They were scared of him. He scared them. Time doesn’t blame them for their fear though, he was scared of himself too.

Time looked around where was and noticed how narrow the space was.

“No, no, stop, don’t think about, just don’t think about it,” Time pointlessly muttered to himself.

But the trees were already closing in, the distant echo of a redead scream reverberated though his mind. “Please just stop. Make it stop.” Time begged, as he brought his hands up to uselessly cover his ears, but knew that it would do nothing.

After all when you’re the protector, who is going to protect you?


End file.
